A violent sword battle broke out at Sikhism's holiest temple today during a special prayer ceremony to mark the government massacre that took place there 30 years ago.

At least eleven people were injured as dozens of Sikh radicals clashed with supporters of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) at the revered Golden Temple, in Amritsar, Punjab.

It is understood the scuffle erupted over who would speak first at the service, held to remember victims of military offensive Operation Blue Star that left hundreds dead on June 6, 1984, when soldiers stormed the compound in a bid to flush out separatist insurgents holed up in the temple.

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Violent scuffle: At least 11 people were injured as dozens of Sikh radicals clashed with supporters of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee at the Golden Temple, in Amritsar

Swords at dawn: Footage showed men running down temple steps, shouting battle cries and lashing out with their swords as the violence grew

Deadly ramifications: As a result of the storming of the Golden Temple, the Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards

Footage appeared to show the two groups of men, sporting blue and saffron turbans, chasing each other down the temple's marble steps, yelling battle cries and lashing out with their swordsas the violence grew out of control, soon spilling inside the temple's walls.

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'Today we were supposed to have a solemn
remembrance for the martyrs of 1984, so what has happened is very sad,'
Prem Singh Chandumajra, a spokesman for Punjab's ruling party
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), told reporters.

'The Temple has once again been dishonoured today,' he added.

Angry: Operation Blue Star saw the Indian Army storm the Golden Temple to flush out Sikh separatists and arrest Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a Sikh leader and his followers who had initiated a movement for a separate Sikh state

Sword swinging: At least eleven people have been reported injured in the clashes in Amritsar

Inside the walls: The violence soon grew out of control, spilling inside the temple's walls

Peace has since been restored, said an official, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

'The
violent clashes will be investigated and action will be taken against
those who are accused,' said Giani Gurbachan Singh, a leader of the SGPC, the
elected body that manages Sikh temples.

Operation Blue Star was one of the most contentious episodes in India's battle against Sikh separatists in the 1980s.

Remembering a bloodbath: It is understood the scuffle erupted over who would speak first at the service, held to remember victims of government offensive Operation Blue Star that left hundreds dead on June 6, 1984

Divided in remembrance: On Friday, Hundreds had gathered at the shrine to remember those killed in the June 6 raid 30 years ago, but the ceremony soon erupted into chaos

WHAT WAS OPERATION BLUE STAR?

The 1984 Indian army operation to establish control over the Golden Temple, ordered by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was one of the most contentious episodes in India's battle against Sikh separatists in the 1980s.

Sikh militants had holed up in the temple for months.

The Indian army botched an attempt to clear them from the holy site, badly underestimating the resistance at first before being drawn into a three-day assault.

The attack outraged Sikhs and led to a catastrophic breakdown in communal relations.

When Mrs Gandhi was killed by her Sikh guards in a revenge attack a few months later, the country erupted.

Mobs overran trains and went house to house across northern India, beating and killing thousands of Sikhs, hacking many to death and burning others alive.

The insurgency was stamped out in the late 1980s.

The three-day siege saw the Indian Army storm the Golden Temple to flush out Sikh separatists and arrest Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a Sikh leader and his followers who had initiated a movement for a separate Sikh state.

As a result, Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards following the bloodbath.

Nearly 3,000 people
were subsequently killed in retaliatory riots against the Sikhs.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee is an organisation in India responsible for the upkeep of
gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship, in three states of Punjab, Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh.

It is also responsible for the administration, upkeep and security of the Golden Temple, known as Harmandir Sahib.

Earlier today, hundreds had gathered at the temple to mark the massacre's anniversary.

But proceedings took an ugly turn when Simranjeet Singh Mann, the local head of Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal, and his supporters forcibly tried to deliver a speech from the temple's rostrum.

But guards from the SGPC attempted to stop him, resulting in a fracas that grew into a violent stand off.

The situation was made worse by the fact that police personnel are not permitted inside the Golden Temple.

During the melee, many panic-striken devotees ran for safety, sources said.

The
CNN-IBN television channel said police detained nearly 50 people, and
that many shops closed because of the tension in Amritsar city.

Meanwhile,
1,500 personnel of anti-riot police were deployed in several places in
Amritsar in the wake of a bandh call given by hardline outfit Dal
Khalsa.

India has suffered
an upsurge of violence in many forms since a general election last month
won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP).

In
the most heinous crime, two girls were raped and hanged in a village in
Uttar Pradesh. Three men have been arrested over the killing, and two
policemen suspected of helping to cover up the crime.

This week, a lynch mob in Pune killed
a Muslim information technology worker. Seventeen men with links to a
little-known radical Hindu group have been arrested over the killing,
apparently provoked by a controversial Facebook post.

Mr Modi, who was sworn in on May 26, has not commented on any of the episodes of violence.

Ugly turn: Proceedings took an ugly turn when Simranjeet Singh Mann, local head of Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal, and his supporters forcibly tried to deliver a speech from the temple's rostrum

Stand off: But guards from the SGPC attempted to stop him (not pictured), resulting in a fracas that grew into a violent stand off

No police: The situation was made worse by the fact that police personnel are not permitted inside the Golden Temple

Run for cover: During the melee, many panic-striken devotees ran for safety, sources said

ARTICLES OF FAITH IN THE SIKH RELIGION

Sikhs are required to carry five articles of faith with them at all times as a reminder of their beliefs. They are:

Kesh Hair must never be cut, and it is kept wrapped in a turban.

Kanga A comb is used to brush the hair twice a day and to help keep the turban neat.

Kara The bracelet is worn on the right wrist and symbolizes restraint from evil deeds.

Kirpan
The small dagger is a symbol of courage and self-sacrifice and must never be used to
attack, although it can be used for protection if other methods of
defense have failed.

Kachehra The undershorts remind Sikhs of their devotion to a faithful life.